How do you "C6" a standard gauged set of strings?

[Gerald Ross]

Many times I encounter a lap steel that is set up to play in open D, E or Bluegrass G (GBDGBD). Typically these sets are gauged .56 -> .13

What is the closest tuning that will work with these gauged sets of string to give me the same string-to-string intervals as C6 (CEGACE)?

I would retune the steel to this.

I know it won't be C6 but I can live with F6 or Ab6 as long as string to string it's the same.

Ideas?

[Brad Bechtel]

Try G6:
1. B
2. G
3. E
4. D
5. B
6. G

That's about as close as you'd get to the same intervals. The top three strings may seem sort of "flabby" though when tuned down that far.

[Garry Vanderlinde]

If you take a bluegrass dobro in G tuning and lower the G's to F# you get a D6th but it skips the 5th. It's workable, but not quite the same.

d B F# D B F#

[Jamie O'Connell]

I haven't tried this... But, it seems Brad's suggestion is a good one. That or Ab6 (you could call it Fm7 and impress :). A standard set of guitar string gauges runs like:

Code: Select all

Std     G6      Ab6    Chart gauges for Ab6
------  -----   -----  --------------------
E .013	B -5    C  -4  .017
B .018	G -4    Ab -3  .024
G .024	E -3    F  -2  .028
D .034	D  0    Eb +1  .032
A .042	B +2    C  +3  .036
E .056	G +3    Ab +4  .046

With G6 you'd be tuning 2 strings up and 3 down. The biggest difference is the -5 (half) steps for B. If you went for Ab6, all 6 strings get retuned: 3 up and 3 down to a bit less degree except for the low string which has to go up a major 3rd (4 steps). The chart recommended gauges for those pitches are definitely different but not extreme.